Biohazard: Mission to Kubisaki Castle
by shadowtiger23
Summary: After they failed to retrieve Sasuke, Tsunade assigns Naruto, Sakura and Sai a simple mission to help them build up their confidence. With Hinata accompanying them, the travel to the familiar, haunted Kubisaki Castle in search of lost travelers. However, a simple missions soon becomes a nightmare nobody could ever imagine.
1. Chapter 1

I'm sorry to divert my attention away from a Sale on Ramen, but I've don't have any strength left to write it. I HAVE NOT ABANDONED MY STORY! I just need to find my center. I need to find a reason to keep writing. So I hope by starting a new story, I can find the passion to continue all my stories.

* * *

_The alarms were blaring throughout the facility as several men and women in lab coats were running through the hallways. The only source of light were the flashing alarm lights. A couple were running full strength but the others were lagging behind, slowed by their wounds. One woman held a t-shirt to her wrist to staunch the bleeding while two men had their hands to their necks, blood dripping violently through their fingers._

_"Keep running!" panted the man in the lead._

_One man tripped and fell on his stomach. Before he even had a chance to get up, something from the dark grabbed him. He only had a second to scream before hit was cut off by a death gurgle._

_Soon, one by one, the scientists were cut down by whatever was hiding in the dark. Only the two uninjured were left as they came across a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. One, a man, bit his thumb and pressed against a seal on the door. Nothing happened._

_"What's going?" his partner, a woman, asked._

_"I don't know." He pushed his shoulder against the door. "I think it's been sealed from the outside."_

_"What!?" the woman yelled. She pounded on the door. "Let us out!"_

_"I'm afraid that's not possible," said a calm, voice through a speaker next to the door. "You know why I can't let you out."_

_"We're not infected!" the woman screeched. "Open the door!"_

_The speaker didn't listen to her pleading. "I thank you for your accomplishments under my employment. Your checks are in the mail." The was a sharp static and soon was silent._

_"No!" the woman yelled and continued to pound on the door._

_"Watch out!" the man yelled as a dark shape lunged for them, snarling._

* * *

"So you failed in retrieving Sasuke Uchiha," stated Tsunade as she observed team Kakashi. The three genin and jonin stood in front of her desk, looking worn out and disappointed. Well, Naruto and Sakura did. Sai's face was an emotionless mask as it always was. Yamato just stood beside his team as he awaited his Hokage's orders.

However, Sakura and Naruto were the ones who had trouble hiding their emotions. Sakura's face was crestfallen. She was beating herself up about once again being too weak to bring back Sasuke. She promised herself that she would do more, that training nonstop under her master's tutelage would make her strong enough to be on par with Sasuke's talents. But after the fight with Sasuke, she realized how far behind she really was.

Naruto was biting his lip and clenching his hands, the nails digging into his palm. Three years. He spent three years training for this day: the day he would bring back Sasuke. Three years of busting his ass and tearing his body to shreds training. And yet, five seconds into the fight, Sasuke proved just how powerful he was. Five seconds and Naruto contemplated using the Kyuubi's chakra to fight. To top it off, Sasuke had actually severed the connection between the two. His trump card was now useless.

Tsunade placed her chin on her hands. "To be honest, I expected as much. Orochimaru was a genius in his young days, so Sasuke would have thrived on training methods. No matter how unorthodox they might be."

"So when are we going to get another chance to bring him back?" Naruto asked.

The Hokage sighed, knowing this would be his question. The boy had once spent nearly six months badgering her for mission to find him. Looks like nothing had changed.

"I'm afraid without more information on where their new base is, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke are now considered to be second thought."

"But-" Naruto started.

Tsunade raised a hand, cutting him off. "But as soon as we find something, I'll will inform you immediately."

Naruto's complaint died in his throat, then nodded in acceptance.

"So what do we do now, my Lady," Sakura asked.

"Right now, I want you four to rest. You've been through a rough couple of days. Take the rest of the day off and see me tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," said Yamato, Sakura and Sai. Naruto didn't say anything. Just nodded and waked out of the room, followed by his comrades.

Tsunade sighed and leaned back into her chair. "Their spirits have been shot."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Shizune as she held Tonton in her arms.

"Let them get a good night's sleep. Then I might give them a small, easy mission to take their minds off Sasuke," Tsunade explained as she poured through the mission requests.

"You think that will work?"

"I hope so," said Tsunade as she pulled a request from the Hidden Sand Village. As she read over the details, she thought this might do. A simple recon mission.

* * *

"Sasuke has extended his Lightning skills," said Kakashi sadly. He looked up from his book towards Yamato. "Chidori Senbon, hun?"

Yamato nodded. "I consider myself lucky that I'm still alive. It might be as dangerous as any attack I've faced."

Kakashi sighed. "I should have never taught him that technique. Look at what it's done."

"You can't blame yourself, senpai," responded Yamato. "You were just being a teacher."

"A teacher who is still making mistakes," said Kakashi. He turned back to his book. "How are Naruto and Sakura doing?"

"Disappointed and a little crushed. But lucky to be alive."

"That's the important thing," said Kakashi. "As soon as I'm out of the hospital, I'm going to train them even harder than ever. I should have done it earlier, all those years ago."

"Senpai-"

"No. I should have been a better teacher to those two." Kakashi snapped his book shut and threw into the trash can across the room. "I'm not going to make the same mistakes anymore."

* * *

Naruto stirred his ramen with his chopsticks, not really eating. After the debriefing, he had come here: His only place of solitude. A bowl of Ichiraku's ramen had always cheered him up in the past, but now, it wasn't doing anything except cooling.

"Naruto, are you okay? asked Teuchi. The boy had only eaten one bowl so he knew something was wrong.

"Mm?" Naruto had looked up from his bowl to see his favorite chef staring at him with worry. He looked beside him to see Ayame doing the same. "Oh, nothing. I'm just sort of bummed about a mission."

"Seeing as your still on your first bowl, it must have been bad," stated Teuchi.

"Everything okay?" asked Ayame.

"As good as it can be," murmured Naruto. "I'm afraid I failed once again to bring back Sasuke."

Teuchi and Ayame listened intently as Naruto explained what happened. From the tip from Sasori in the Land of Wind to Sasuke's new power, Naruto continued with his story. Each word was heavy blow on his heart at his failure.

"Naruto you can't blame yourself," Teuchi told his favorite customer. "You tried your best."

"That's all you can do," Ayame added.

"I just wish I could do more." Naruto stood up and left a few ryo bills for his half-eaten ramen. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime, son," said Teuchi.

With the light fading in the west, Naruto made his way back to his apartment. It was weird, he thought, that it has been nearly two weeks since he returned from his trip and had only spent two days in his home village. The familiar smell of the leaves and wood surrounding the village helped a little to ease his troubles. It always did.

_What do I do now?_

**You can always let me help**, sneered a dark voice.

Naruto scowled. _What are you doing up?_

**Oh, I'm just enjoying the night air with you. Along with the delightful taste of your suffering.**

_Go back to sleep, you overgrown shag carpet._

**Aw, don't be like that. You know I've always want to help.**

_LIKE YOU DID AGAINST OROCHIMARU!? YOU ALMOST GOT EVERYONE KILLED!_

**In a war, there's always casualties. Don't your remember that back in the academy.**

_Go away, fuzzball._

**Only if you say please.**

_Eat me._

The voice chuckled. **One day I will, brat. One day.**

Naruto felt the fox's presence fade away. The demon had been more active as of late these past few weeks. Actually, ever since that incident with Jaraiya and training, it felt like the fox was aware of what was happening. It was like having someone watch you from over your shoulder.

A few minutes later, the familiar building that was his home appeared around a corner.

"Home sweet home," he muttered as he made his way to the steps.

"Naruto?" said a timid voice behind him.

Naruto turned to see Hinata standing behind him. She was holding her hands together in front of her, like she had always done. That caused him to smile. It seemed like some things will never change.

"Hello, Hinata. How are you doing tonight?"

Hinata looked down at her feet. "Well, I heard about what happened on you mission. Sakura told me when we met at the hospital."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, we failed big time. That's I wanted to ask you earlier, if you or Kiba or Shino wanted to go with us."

Hinata blushed red at the memory. All she remember was finally seeing Naruto again for the first time in years, then fainting. When she woke, Naruto was beside her asking for her to go with him. Then fainted again. It wasn't until later when she realized he was asking her to accompany her on a mission to bring back Sasuke. Kiba laughed nonstop for an hour.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Naruto. I would have."

"I understand. I appreciate it all the same," smiled Naruto.

Hinata blushed even redder at his smile. She missed it.

"What will you do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. We've got to report tomorrow back at Granny's office and see what happens. Maybe she'll give us time off to train."

Hinata couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's comment on Tsunade. Only he could get away with calling her that. The last guy that tried ended up punched all the way to the Land of Rain.

"So if we do have a day off, do you want to get some ramen with me?" asked Naruto.

Hinata stiffened and tried to barely silenced a gasp.

"Wh-what?" she squeaked.

"I've only been in the village for two days since I got back from my trip," Naruto smiled as he explained. "Tomorrow, if we can, you can give me a tour on what's happened in the village since I left.

Hinata didn't answer, but turned redder with each passing second.

"Uh, Hinata, are you okay?"

"YES!" she yelled.

Naruto blinked. "Yes as in you will go with me or yes you're okay?"

Hinata tried to shrug the collar of her jacket to hide her nearly purple face. "Both," she barely whispered.

"Great," Naruto smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He turned and walked back up the stairs of his apartment. He waved at her, then went inside.

After Hinata heard the door click shut, she fainted. Right in the middle of the street.

* * *

A new day, and a new chance. That's what Naruto had felt when he woke up that morning. Sleeping in his old bed had helped ease the stress he was feeling since yesterday. The sun waking him up was a tradition he missed in his old village as well as having breakfast in his kitchen. Even walking to the Hokage Tower was joyous moment.

He knocked on the door of the old lady's office. Hearing 'come in', he opened the door.

"Ah, Naruto, glad you could be with us today," smiled the Hokage.

"Well, you know me. A good night's rest and I'm ready to take on the world," Naruto grinned.

The rest of Team Kakashi, waiting for him to show up, smiled at his antics.

"Good morning Naruto," said Sakura. She too felt better after yesterday's events.

"Morning, Sakura," answered Naruto. He turned the everyone. "You too, Captain Yamato. Sai."

"Good morning, Naruto." said Sai. Naruto noticed his smile was a little more real than it used to be. Every since their talk in the catacombs, Sai was looking more human.

"So now that you're here, we can discuss your current situation," announced Tsunade. Team Kakashi stood at attention. "After yesterday's events, I'm willing to give a week off to recuperate or train. Then you can resume your missions."

The three genin looked at each other. The nods they gave told their answer without words.

"I think we'll be okay to continue mission, my Lady," answered Sakura. "We're ninja. Not children."

"You two feel the same?" Tsunade asked Naruto and Sai.

"You bet," grinned Naruto as Sai nodded.

"Very well then." Tsunade pulled a sheet of paper from her folders. "Then I'm assigning Team Kakashi a B-rank reconnaissance mission. It was requested from us in the Land of Rivers. It was originally requested to the Hidden Sand Village from the Village Hidden in Valleys."

"What is the problem?" asked Sai.

"It seems that several people have gone missing while traveling through that area. Travelers and merchants have not checked in at their locations or with their families. This has been going on for the last month."

"So why are we being assigned to this now. Shouldn't have this had been handled earlier?" asked Sakura.

"It was, but not with us. It seems like the River shinobi haven't had any luck in finding out the problem. Lord Kazekage sent a team to the area three days ago. As of today, they've have not reported back."

"So Gaara wants us to help?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. In fact, he wants you on the mission specifically, Naruto. He trusts you more than anybody."

"Gaara," Naruto said quietly. It was still a big scare for him, losing one his friends to Akatsuki.

"So our mission is merely to search the area for the lost travelers and the Sand team?" asked Sai.

"That's correct. And Naruto, this should be familiar territory for you. You, Kiba, and Hinata have been to this area before."

"I have?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. You three were in the area once before. It was to rescue the daimyo's wife, Kayo, from the Land of Honey. Your search should take you near Kubisaki castle."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked up in thought. He teamed up with Hinata and Kiba a lot in the old days so it was hard to remember when. Now if he remembered correctly, he went went searching for the daimyo's wife near a creepy cliffside surrounded in mists. They found the woman and her servants in a castle that…..

"YOU WANT US TO GO BACK TO THAT CREEPY, HAUNTED CASTLE?!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, you're not still scared of ghosts, are you?" Tsunade smirked.

Naruto sniffed and crossed his arms again. "As if. I just don't see any point in going back there. We freed the prisoners and destroyed the chameleon contract that was controlling the castle."

However, during that speech, he couldn't help his knees from shaking. Especially when he clearly remembered seeing Lord Kubisaki's ghost, even though he was only helping them.

Sakura giggled. "Fraidy cat."

"I am not!"

"Enough," Tsunade snapped, even though she tried not to laugh. "You four leave within the hour to go search the area for the lost travelers."

"Good luck," said Yamato.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" asked Sakura.

"I'm afraid not. Lady Tsunade has asked me to participate in another mission," Yamato explained.

"So who is our fourth?" asked Sai.

A soft knock was on the door before it opened to reveal Hinata. She stepped into the office and bowed to Tsunade.

"I'm here as you requested, Lady Hokage," she said.

"Hinata? You're our fourth member?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto!" Hinata squeaked. "You're part of my team?"

"I figured you would need a familiar face when returning to the castle," explained Tsunade. "Plus, with Hinata's Byakugan, you'll be able to conduct a more thorough search."

Naruto smiled at Hinata. "It will be just like old times. It looks like that ramen's going to have to wait."

Hinata blushed, but smiled as well. "Of course."

"One more thing. Who will be the leader assigned for this mission?" asked Sai.

Tsunade folded her hands and thought for a moment. Everyone waited for her decision with a building suspension.

"Naruto."

Everyone's jaws dropped. Even Shizune and Tonton's.

"My..my Lady?" asked a shocked Sakura.

"I think it will be a good exercise for him," Tsunade explained. "He's only had the chance to lead a few missions before. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

_You just had to say that_, everyone but Naruto and Hinata thought.

"Anyway, you four leave within one hour. I want you to report back the day after tomorrow with a result, regardless of its success. Understood?"

Naruto snapped a salute. "You got it, Grandma!" He turned to his teammate. "Team Naruto, let's move out!" he yelled and charged from the room.

Sakura sighed and bowed to Tsunade. "It was nice knowing you, Master."

Sai bowed as well and left. Hinata thanked the Hokage for sending her on a mission and left to pack.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" asked Shizune.

"I hope so. Kakashi is really determined to train them when he gets better," said Yamato.

Tsunade didn't say anything. From what she read, it seemed like a simple mission. But for some reason she had this feeling something was hiding in the shadows.

_Could it be the reports of red wolves in the area? Or the moans of death that have been heard?_

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll post another chapter as soon as I can.


	2. Chapter 2

"On we march, to the countryside! With every step we take, we're going to die!" Naruto sang as he led the way to the Land of Rivers.

The four had already crossed the Land of Fire border nearly a hour ago. In a few minutes they would reach the beginning of the cliffs and were follow a path that lead to castle. It was mid-afternoon, but the clouds had begun to block the sun. Hinata was behind Naruto, giggling at his marching song. Sai and Sakura were walking side-by-side, bringing up the rear. Sakura had her arms crossed with a scowl on her face. Sai wasn't doing much except reading in a book.

"This is going to be a disaster," Sakura muttered. "With Naruto leading us, we're most likely going to fail."

"He's your teammate. You should have more faith in him," answered Sai.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. That was a new comment coming from Sai. Every since they met, he had always had a cruel word for her and Naruto. She turned to look at what Sai was reading.

'How to Make Friends'

"Really? You're reading on how to make friends?" asked Sakura.

"Naruto suggested I should learn to be friends with you two so we could become better comrades. I found this in the library."

Sakura was skeptical, but curious. "What's it say?"

"It says 'one way to make friends is to make a friendly introduction.'" Sai bookmarked his spot and held his hand for Sakura to shake. "Hello. My name is Sai."

Sakura smiled and played along. "My name is Sakura. What does it say next?"

"'Next, give a comment about the person.'" Sai smiled at Sakura again. "Your hair reminds me of a piece of gum I once stepped in."

A tic appeared Sakura's forehead. The next second Sai found himself buried into the wall of the cliff. She gave a small growl and continued walking, leaving Sai in the bedrock.

"Making friends is difficult," he said.

Meanwhile, Naruto finished his song with a flourish, much to Hinata's amusement. He smiled as he heard her giggle.

"You have a nice laugh," remarked Naruto. _'Why haven't I ever noticed that before.'_

Hinata stopped immediately and blushed. She tried to say something that wouldn't make her pass out. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto's smile grew. He also noticed how lovely she was when she was blushing. It always seemed to make her glow. Not red glow, but more like illuminating.

"You nervous about going back to the castle?" asked Naruto.

Hinata shook her head. "No. We know what was causing those spooky things last time. I'm not nervous at all."

Naruto nodded. However, he still couldn't shake the feeling of the chill crawling up his spine. Maybe it was just the memories he had of the castle.

Soon, with each step he took, he noticed how harder it was to see his surroundings. The mists had begun to envelope them. It was even beginning to block what sunlight was left

They had arrived at their location.

"We're here," Naruto announced.

He heard Sakura and Sai's footsteps behind him. "Are you sure?" asked Sakura.

"Cliffside roads, thick mists." Naruto took a deep breath. "Yeah, we're here."

"So what do we do know?" asked Hinata.

"Right now, we stay close," said Naruto. "This mist is thick enough that we could easily get lost. I'll take the lead. Sakura, you're behind me. Your strength will be our leading force in case we're attacked and get passed me. Sai, you're behind her. Your Ink Beasts will help us cover our escape in case we run into trouble. Hinata, you're in the back. With your Byakugan, you'll keep an eye behind us. Everyone understand?"

The rest nodded, very surprised at his ability to read the situation and make a strategy for it. However, Naruto was just taking a page out of Shikamaru's book. He remembered how he analyzed the situation during Sasuke's retrieval. So he took his team's attribute's and applied them to the situation.

"I want all of us to be one step behind the other," Naruto continued. "Now form up."

The team got into position, one behind the other. Naruto led the way on the road. He felt very confident in his abilities, especially when his friends were right behind him to help. But if anyone wanted to harm them, they would have to go through him first.

They spent the next hour walking along the cliff, searching for any signs of the their targets. Naruto wanted to see if there were any clues on the roads before they went looking in the forests.

"Naruto!" called Hinata from the back. He saw her pointing at something in the road ahead of them. He couldn't see anything through the mists, but he could smell something.

He pulled a kunai from his pouch and got into a defensive position. Soon, he heard footsteps. Then, the squeak of a wagon wheel. And finally, the outlines of several people.

"We're okay," said Naruto calmly. "They're just merchants."

"How do you know? I can't see anything," hissed Sakura.

"I can smell the goods they're carrying," Naruto answered.

Several people were hauling packs or pushing wagons. With their wraps around their heads, goggles and the long heavy clothes, Naruto guessed they came from the Land of Wind.

"Hello, there," said one of the merchants.

"Hello," answered Naruto. "What brings you here?"

"We're on our way to the Village Hidden in Valleys. It's our quarterly trade."

"I see. You should be careful traveling these roads. We heard some people have gone missing."

The merchant looked down. "We know. We lost one an hour ago."

"What?" said Sakura and Naruto.

"One of our own. We took a lunch break and some of the men went into the forests to find water. However, one didn't return. We spent an hour looking for him, but I'm afraid there was nothing we could do."

Naruto stood taller. "Well, we're here to find out what's going on. If we find him, we'll take him to your convoy."

The merchant smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure Lord Kazekage would appreciate it."

"Anytime."

The Leaf shinobi watched the merchants pass on. When they were gone, Sakura turned to Naruto.

"You shouldn't have promised him that. We have our orders."

"Our orders are to find anyone who has been lost in this area. I think that applies to Sand merchant as well."

Sakura nodded. "Fine. So what now?"

"We continue on."

They formed ranks and walked for another hour till they found the spot where the merchants had their camp. On the road we're several footprints overlapping each other along with a few small pieces of trash. They couldn't find any sign of the lost merchant. Naruto took a look at the surrounding area. It was nothing but forests as far as the eye could see. The trees were grouped so close together that walking would be difficult. That and the mists that still surrounded them make the woods look like it was night.

"He could be anywhere by now," said Sai. "Either lost further into the woods, picked off by bandits or eaten by wild animals."

"Orders are orders," said Sakura. "We got maybe 12 hours to search this area before we have to head back and report to Lady Tsunade."

"Well, we better get started," said Naruto. He held his fingers in a cross symbol. **"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" ** Several poofs of smoke surrounded them and cleared to see nearly 60 clones waiting for orders.

"Form up into teams of three. When one of you find a clue, find us. We'll be taking the route north of here."

"Right!" yelled the clones. An instant later, they were off into the trees.

"You are useful," said Sai. "I thought it was a joke people told me."

"Thanks," Naruto said sarcastically. "Well, we better get started."

The team took off into the trees, keeping a good distance apart to search but close enough to keep with eyesight of each other. But it was still going to be a real hassle with on the four of them. After nearly an hour and half of searching, Naruto was beginning to think it was pointless. While, Hinata was a good asset to the team with her Kekkei Genkai, she couldn't search a whole forest for one clue. He really wished Kiba and Akimaru was here. Those two and Hinata would have been a big help with their tracking abilities. Shino too, but frankly, he scared Naruto.

But they had to make do. Another good asset was when Sai used his Super Beast Scroll technique and took to the skies on his giant hawk.

Naruto's clones were big help, but there wasn't much they could do with trying to find the original once they found something. Plus, they can really act like goofballs. Punching each other, making jokes and pulling pranks. Even now, those thoughts were giving him a headache.

Suddenly, something clamped onto his neck with sharp teeth, ripping his flesh.

"Gah!" Naruto yelled as he lost his footing. He was able to land on a branch, but not comfortably.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" yelled Hinata as she leaped toward him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he gasped as he rubbed his neck. What happened? He was sure he felt something cut into his throat. He had a fleeting image of a giant red wolf leaping out of the brush and attacking. The last thing he saw where it's milky, white eyes full of killer intent.

"What happened?" asked Sakura as she and Sai landed beside him.

"Nothing. I just lost my footing."

Sakura scowled. "You need to keep an eye out. I can heal, but we can't afford you getting injured."

"I understand."

Sai took flight, Sakura leapt away, but Hinata stayed behind to watch Naruto until he got to his feet. He tried to shake the image out of his head, but those eyes really freaked him out.

"Are you okay?" asked Hinata.

Naruto nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

"Ok, then. Please be careful." Then leapt off.

Naruto continued his trek. It wasn't until 10 minutes later until he had another vision. Same wolf, but this time, the wolf grabbed him around his leg. Seconds later, two more visions came to his mind. One being attacked from behind and another one where he was grabbed by the throat again.

'_What the hell is happening?'_ he thought as he grabbed his head. Headaches were just pounding away at his skull. Each pulse led to a new vision of him being torn to shreds.

"Here!"

Sakura's voice broke through the hazy fog in his head. He leapt towards the sound of her voice, now wasting a single second.

Hinata was there while Sai landed his bird beside them. An instant later, Naruto was right beside them.

"What did you discover?" asked Sai.

"Look," Sakura said as she pointed to the ground. Shuriken stars littered the ground around them. Some of them were covered with dried, black blood. Looking around, Naruto saw that some were stuck in trees as well as several kunai.

"Was there a fight here?" asked Naruto.

"Looks like it," said Hinata. "But there is a lot of blood here."

"It's not human," Naruto said suddenly. Everyone looked at him.

"How can you tell?" asked Sai.

"I can smell it," he said quietly

Sakura knelt down and passed a glowing hand over a large spot of blood. A few moments later she stood up with a frown on her face.

"Naruto's right. It's not human."

"What is it then?" asked Hinata.

"From what I can tell, it's some kind of canine."

"It's wolf," Naruto answered. "The woods are filled with them."

"How do you know that?" asked Sakura.

Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he noticed a particular pattern to the blood droplets. They pattern that they fell and the direction they followed.

He followed it, ignoring the cries from his friends.

"Naruto come back!"

He didn't listen. Instead, he followed the pattern. It wasn't long before the scent of copper was getting stronger and the blood pools were getting bigger.

Soon, his trek led him to a small clearing and a horrendous discovery.

Sakura and Hinata landed beside him.

"Naruto what are you-"Sakura started before she gasped.

A body, or what was left of one, laid in the clearing. A giant, dried blood pool and what could only be a small pile of clothes in the center. There were no arms, legs, or even a head. The only thing that seemed to remain were the bitten off stubs of the hip bones and a rib cage.

Hinata stiffened a cry and turned away.

"How long?" asked Naruto stiffly.

"At least two days," answered Sakura. She swallowed as she examined the legs. "No traces of internal organs. Also, there are teeth marks on the bone. Looks like your guess was right about the wolves, Naruto."

"It wasn't a guess."

Sai walked into the clearing. He didn't even bat an eye at the body.

"I found this a few meters behind us," he said as he held a partially, stained cloth. What wasn't stained was a dark, gray color.

"What is it?"

"I think it's part of a Sand shinobi's flap jacket," Sai answered.

Naruto blanched as he recognized the fabric. "So the team Gaara sent might be dead as well?"

"It looks that way."

"Naruto!" Hinata cried. Everyone turned to see her with her Byakugan activated.

"What is it? What do you see?" asked Naruto.

She pointed off into the distance. "I see someone. Someone alive."

There was no need to order; all of them took off in the direction she pointed. Each one pushing their hardest since a life may depend on it.

It took a few minutes before Sakura spotted the person first. "There!"

A man was stumbling through the trees. It looked like one of the merchants from earlier. He was clutching his right arm, which was bleeding profusely through his fingers. The look on his face said he must have run into a demon.

"Help!" he screamed as he hurried towards them.

"We're coming! Just hold on!" Naruto called out.

Hinata, Byakugan still activated, yelled, "Watch out!"

Naruto didn't have time to ask what was wrong before a red blur shot through the trees and grabbed the man by the throat. He only had time to scream for a second before his throat was ripped out. Then three more blurs charged him down, tearing the man to shreds instantly.

Naruto held out his hand to stop his teammates, knowing it was already too late to help him. Even with Sakura's healing techniques.

"What the hell?" asked a shocked Sakura.

The visions Naruto received earlier were nothing compared to seeing the wolves up close. At first, he thought their fur was red. But with a closer look he realized that they had no fur at all. Instead, it looked like they were skinned, showing the red sinew of muscle and blood. What was worse, there seemed to giant wounds missing from parts of their body. Parts that weren't bleeding. On a body that was nearly tall as Naruto's shoulder

Hinata was beginning to retch. The sound caught the attention of one of the wolves. He stared hungrily at them with white, dead eyes and blood dripping from his maul.

The monster charged them. One to never down from a challenge, Naruto charged right back.

"Naruto!"

Naruto answered by pulling several shuriken out of his pouch and throwing them towards the wolf. All of them landed on the wolf, several of the them landing in its throat and one in the eye.

The monster didn't even slow down. In fact, it only charged towards him faster. His comrades stopped feasting on the man and charged with him.

He gaped at the scene. The force he threw stars should have immediately killed it. With that, Naruto did the only sensible option to save him and his friends.

"Run!" he yelled.


	3. Chapter 3

The howls of the hell hounds were enough incentive for everyone to run fast. Dripping blood from their mouths was another one. Any reason as long as they didn't end up as a statistic.

"There right behind us!" Hinata yelled. She kept her eyes activated. "We're not outrunning them!"

"Jump to the trees! They can't follow us there!" yelled Sakura.

They immediately jumped to the nearest branch, about twenty feet above them. With the safety confirmed, Naruto took a moment to look behind them to the their pursuers.

His heart leapt into this throat when he saw the leader jump straight at him from the ground.

"Not good enough!" he yelled and leapt to another branch.

The wolf didn't even slow down. It landed on the branch he was just on and bounded to him. The monster then pounced and almost reached him when a black lion burst into view. It grabbed the wolf and directed back towards the ground where it burst into a puddle of ink.

Naruto turned to see Sai with a scroll and his brush. "Thanks, Sai."

"You're welcome but it may be needed again," Sai explained as the wolf shook its head and charged again with its brothers beside him. "These things are not quitting."

"What the hell are they?" asked Sakura.

"I don't know, but they're coming back," said Naruto. "Sai, make some more lions and I'll make some clones to help cover our escape."

Sai nodded and drawled his lion barrage he used on Naruto and Shikamaru. He then made a hand sign.

**"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll!"**

**"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

A large puff of smoke and 4 lions and 5 clones appeared around them.

"Attack," Naruto and Sai ordered.

Their creations immediately charged giving the team a few seconds to leap into the trees.

"I think we found the reasons why people have gone missing," Naruto said.

"No duh," said Sakura. She leapt beside him. "And from what we discovered, I don't think we're going to find any survivors."

"What are they?" asked a shocked Hinata. "They look like wolves, but they look like they've been skinned."

"And stronger," finished Sai. "Normal wolves can't leap like ninja into trees."

"Are they some kind of ninja trained wolves? Can they use chakra?" asked Naruto. He shook his head as more headaches and visions erupted in his mind.

"No they're not using chakra, but there is something in bodies," said Hinata.

"What is it? Some kind of drug?" asked Sakura.

"Not really, but there is something circulating through their systems. I saw it with my Byakugan. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal."

It wasn't a minute later when Naruto slowed down, clutching his head.

"Naruto what's wrong?"

"I don't know," he groaned. "But I think we should keep moving. They beaten my clones."

"How do you know that?" asked Sakura.

"I keep seeing visions of them fighting with Sai's lions. My clones and his art beats were getting thrashed by the wolves. They're back on our trail."

"Really?"

A wolf howl echoed through the trees, sending shivers through their hearts. It was even worse when several more howls echoed around them.

"What the hell? How many are there?" panicked Sakura.

"A pack at three o'clock," said Sai as another group of wolves ran through the trees towards them.

"8 o'clock as well," squeaked Hinata looking in the opposite direction.

"We're surrounded."

Naruto pulled a kunai out of his pouch and prepared for an attack. But if his visions were being correct, it was no use. The wolves his clones fought were tough. Each one was impervious to his attacks.

They needed a place to regroup.

"Hinata, where are the castle ruins? asked Naruto. The castle was built in a giant clearing. If they could get there, Naruto could summon a large number of shadow clones to help. Or even summon Gamabunta.

"Two hundred meters northeast of our position," she said.

"Everyone head there now!" he yelled as he through a smoke bomb to cover there escape.

The team ran through the smoke towards the castle. Naruto could see it through the mists, but just barely. If they hurried, they could make.

The howls were getting closer, from behind and from the sides. It seems like the wolves from earlier were teaming up to take down their prey.

"There!" yelled Sakura. She was pointing at the stone platform the castle was built upon. They could only see a small piece of it through the trees.

"Hurry! We need to get to clearing!" Naruto ordered.

But when the got into the clearing, they were in for a shock. One that froze them in their tracks.

The castle was rebuilt.

"What?!" yelled Naruto. How could this have happened? The castle looked like it never changed when he first saw it nearly three years ago. But that was impossible.

"We shouldn't stop, Naruto," said Sai.

"But-"

Another horrible howl echoed behind them. Sai was right. They had keep moving.

With the hell hounds right behind them, the ran across the clearing and up the stone steps. Naruto reached the door first. He pulled, thanking whatever deity existed that it wasn't locked. However, it was very heavy, even swinging on the hinges. Whoever built this place surely didn't want just anybody to get in.

"Hurry," he said. Hinata and Sakura went first. Sai followed, then Naruto.

He pulled on the door ring, cursing how slow it was to shut it. He could see the wolves closing in.

Sai grabbed the ring and helped. It wasn't enough as a large wolf leapt and fixed his head between the doors. It was snapping furiously at Naruto and Sai's hands, missing by centimeters as they struggled to close the door.

"Oh no you don't," growled Sakura. She reared her fist back and struck the wolf in the face. Its head was completely obliterated from its body in an eruption of gore and blood.

It was enough for Sai and Naruto to fully close the door. Hinata then pushed a wooden barrier into the braces to lock it. A second later and the wolves crashed against the wood, furiously scratching and snarling.

The relief that they were safe made them weak as they collapsed onto the door. All of them were breathing heavily as the tried to recuperate.

Naruto was the first. He checked room they were in. They seemed to have ended up in a vary large entrance hall. Several decorative vases were positioned beautifully around the edges of the room. Only a few doors were leading out. It was dark, the only light coming from small oil lamps that were hanging from the wall. The walls were made of some sort of black wood along with the traditional paper doors. The floor, however, was wooden that was covered by a plush rug. It stretched all the way across the giant room.

It was an almost copy of the last castle they were in.

Hinata was next to recover. She sat up and looked at the door with her Byakugan. "They're still there. Pacing."

Sakura stood up from the floor. "So we're stuck here?" That's just great."

"Hang on. We can find a way out," Naruto said. "Me and Hinata have been here before. Getting out should be a piece of cake.."

"But, Naruto," Hinatat began.

"What is it Hinata?"

"The wolves are at the door and completely surrounding the castle. And that's not all."

"I don't know see how this can get any worse," murmured Sakura.

"There is something in the walls that's blocking my Byakugan."

Naruto stiffened. "How is that possible? You can see outside the castle, but you can't see inside it?"

Hinata nodded. "The walls built within the castle have some sort of sealing tag in the wall foundations."

"So we're not going to be able to see what's waiting for us in this castle?" Naruto shivered. It was bad enough that last time he had watchful paintings and creepy samurai armor, but now they couldn't see what was coming.

Hinata saw Naruto's face. She felt even more guilty that she couldn't be of more help.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Naruto sighed and looked at Hinata. "It's not your fault, Hinata. We didn't things were going to be this bad."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Sakura screamed. "Naruto, when you told me about this mission, you told me you guys stopped all the creepy stuff from happening."

Naruto was confused as well. Kubisaki castle was home to a feudal lord, one who promised that his castle would devour all of his enemies. Even beyond his death. Naruto, Kiba and Hinata were able to figure out that the mansion was actually the lord's summons: a chameleon. However, the summons took things a little too far. So with the help from the ghost of Kouzu Kubisaki, they were able to destroy the summons, rescue the missing people, and make the castle disappear.

But why was it back now?

"Check out this wood," Sai said unexpectedly. Naruto completely forgot he was there.

"What is it?" he asked, walking towards him.

Sai ran a hand up and down one of the wood panels. "This wood is still in great condition. Only about a year old."

"But the castle was abandoned for more than 50 years ago."

"Exactly. Judging by this wood and the light layer of dust, this place was built only about about six months ago. A year at the most."

"But wouldn't we have had a report about it from the Hidden Valley Village?" asked Sakura.

Naruto put a hand on his chin. "You don't think someone could be hiding this from us, do you?

Before anyone could answer, a loud thump came from one of the rooms behind the rice paper.

"What was that?" asked Hinata.

"Maybe it's a survivor," suggested Sakura. Though she sounded a little nervous.

Naruto put his hands in a cross symbol. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu."** When a clone appeared, he gave it orders. "Go into the room and check out what made that noise."

The clone smirked. "You guys scared?"

"Just do it."

Everyone scowled at the clone as it chuckled towards the room. It pulled a kunai out and slid the door open. For a moment, the clone seemed to glance around. Then it walked into the room.

The group waited a few moments. There heard the clone speak, but couldn't understand what he was saying through the paper walls. A moment later, it spoke again with a more raised voice.

"What's going on?" asked Sai.

"I said stop!" yelled the clone. A second later there was a yelp and the sound of a clone dispelling.

"What happened?" asked Sakura.

"I don't-" Naruto started, but then a headache formed as well as a vision.

_"You guys scared?" asked Naruto._

_"Just do it," said the boss._

_Naruto chuckled and walked towards the paper door that led into the room. He slid it open, glanced inside, and walked in. The room looked like a regular business office, much like Grandma's office back home._

_He immediately saw what made the noise. There was chair knocked over, next the desk. A man was struggling to get up._

_"Are you okay?" he asked. There was no response._

_Naruto walked towards the man, intending on helping. But the closer he got, the more he noticed that there was a horrible smell in the room. A smell that he really couldn't pinpoint, but seemed to be coming from the man._

_He must really be sick._

_"Don't worry, my friends and I are here to help." He reached a hand out help the man up._

_The man suddenly growled and snapped his teeth at the outstretched hand._

_"Whoa what's your problem?" Naruto snapped as the man got to his feet._

_It was then that Naruto got a good look at the man from the front. The man's clothes were grimy, unwashed, and torn. And bloody. Several black stains of blood littered the man's shirt, the biggest one at the neck. The face was even worse. The skin was gray and spotted with what looked like mold. A huge chunk of the man's cheek was missing. Naruto could see the teeth through the hole chewing the air._

_The shock of the man's appearance kept Naruto frozen, but finally snapped as the man walked towards him._

_"Stop," Naruto squeaked as raised his kunai in defense. The man didn't yield. "I said stop!"_

_Whatever Naruto prepared for, it wasn't this. He swung the kunai up, slashing the man in the chest. The man didn't flinch, but grabbed Naruto's arm. And bit him on the wrist._

Naruto groaned his vision quit. He was back in the hallway. His friends were approaching the door.

"Don't!" Naruto yelled as he rushed forward and shut the door.

"What it is Naruto?" asked Hinata.

"There's a man in there. He tried to eat me."

"What?" asked Sakura. "Nartuo how do you know that?"

Naruto was about to answer when he stopped. How did he know that? He was about to say he saw it in his head when two arms broke through the rice paper. They tried to grab his jacket, but he was able to slip through. The rest of the wall was torn away and the man Naruto saw in his vision stumbled through. He just stood there calmly, watching them.

"Who is this man?" asked Hinata as she got into her Hyuga stance.

"This guy tried to eat me," Naruto said as he pulled out a kunai. "I don't know what happened, but he's sick."

"Let me see if I can help," said Sakura as she approached cautiously towards the man.

Naruto watched her and the man, intent on throwing the knife straight into the man's heart if he so much as twitched wrong. It wasn't until he saw Sakura's glowing hand nearing the man's chest that he saw it. A chest with a giant cut that wasn't bleeding.

"Sakura get back!" Naruto yelled as he rushed forward and pulled her away. He threw a knife at the man's chest.

"What is your problem, Naruto!?" Sakura screeched and ripped her arm away from Naruto's grasp. "I was trying help him."

"No. Look," Naruto whispered.

The kunai was stuck in the man's chest, right over the right lung. It was buried in the flesh to the handle.

But the man was still groaning. He took a step forward. Then another.

"That's not possible," said Sai.

"Naruto!" Hinatat cried. "The man's chakra. It's not circulating"

"What? What does that mean?" said a confused Naruto."

"It means the man is dead."

Everyone was stunned into silence by the revelation. Naruto didn't want to believe it. The man was walking for crying out loud. Granted yes, he was stumbling, speaking only in grunts and smelled like a dead fish, but still. Dead people don't walk around.

But the evidence was right in front of him. The cut that wasn't bleeding and the kunai in the man's lung told the story.

The man, or now corpse, got tired of everyone waiting and decided to do something. It raised its arms and stumbled towards Sai. The boy reached for his short sword and started attacking. Sai got in three quick slashes to the man's body. But it still didn't even slow down. It lunged towards Sai.

However, he anticipated the movement and rolled underneath the corpse's arm. Sai got back to his feet and gave an upward strike to man's outstretched arm. A groan was all there was as the man's arm fell to the ground.

The corpse didn't even blink at the loss of its limb as it slowly turned around and tried to attack Sai again.

"What more do I need to do?" he grumbled.

"Stand clear," ordered Naruto as he reared his kunai back for a throw. Sai leapt out of the way and Naruto threw the knife with all the strength that he had. The kunai flew threw the air and buried itself to the ring into the skull of the corpse. The corpse suddenly stopped and finally fell to ground.

The four teens slowly surrounded the corpse, ready to try again it the body got back up. After a full minute and the body didn't move, they finally breathed.

Naruto turned and looked at the front door.

"Where the hell are we?"


End file.
